Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush seems to have poached some prominent donors and power brokers from the home state of one of his chief rivals, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the Washington Post reported.

Christie is "rapidly losing support" among key forces in the GOP, and Bush's strategy may "undercut the Garden State governor before his expected campaign can get off the ground," the Washington Post reported.

The son of former President George H.W. Bush and brother of President George W. Bush has so far refrained from holding a fundraiser in New Jersey. But behind the scenes, the two-term Florida governor has successfully wooed high-profile Christie backers.

New Jersey State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, who chaired Christie's 2009 gubernatorial campaign, was apparently one of the Garden State heavyweights whom Bush contacted in recent months.

"I've known and admired Jeb for many years, and I'm obviously intrigued by his candidacy," Kyrillos said, "or I wouldn't have had dinner or communicated with him."

The state senator was invited to a private dinner Bush held in January at the Union League Club in New York. Johnson & Johnson heir and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, meanwhile, attended a Chicago fundraising event for Bush's political committees earlier this week, according to Fox News.

Christie backers, meanwhile, insisted on Thursday they were not alarmed by Bush's gains in New Jersey. They noted the governor has robust financial support both in his home state and across the nation and disputed the has was being undercut by the Floridian.

"We're doing fine," said Kenneth G. Langone, who has pledged to help an expected Christie big with substantial resources. "Everybody I've called and asked has said yes."

Langone, a New York native, is the co-founder of the Home Depot construction-product and home-improvement chain; Forbes estimated his net worth at about $2.5 billion.

Ray Washburne, a Dallas real-estate developer who leads the national fundraising push for Christie's political action committee, said there is plenty of money to go around for both presidential hopefuls.

"Jeb has grabbed a good bit of the donor base, no question," Washburne said. "But there is still a huge amount of the donor base available to get."

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